Motorcycles and Pit Stops

When I first started this trip, I would never have imagined that I would be walking around a 24-hour relay motorcycle race. The timing was just right for us to watch the race last weekend. That´s the great thing about traveling, you never know what is really just around the corner. People in Barcelona love their motorbikes and the good ol´Vaspas. By far, the most popular are the BMWs and then the Hondas. Some of the BMWs are equipped with a head cover, full windshield and wipers.


The Catalan´s family youngest son is a head mechanic for Harley Davidson in South Spain and was helping to promote the company by showcasing a dragster type of Harley. Apparently, only 180 of them were ever built. Harley Davidson motorcycles are still a novelty here in Europe and as far as I can tell, the biker image has not really caught on here.


I ended walking and poking around the pit stops with the father as the mechanics were busy fueling and fine tuning the race bikes, and scrambing around adding the decals and tinkering here and there. I got in a few media and team shots and just sneaked in behind the official photograhers to take a snap. I never knew the riders lined up along the side of track and actually ran to their motorbikes at the start of the race and then take off. It´s a really nice way to start. Man, do they take off and it´s almost impossible to take a photo as they zoom by. Good thing I have a digital camera. Hello delete button.


There are plenty of spanish schools here in Barcelona and I´m trying to figure the one that fits for me. I am planning to pay for a two-week 4 hours a day course today, starting next monday. This is probably the best way to learn as the father I´m staying knows some English but when he gets excited or wants to really to explain something, reverts back to Spanish or Catalan. I am also trying to arrange for some conversational practice with locals. I think the father secretly would prefer I learn Catalan and insisted that all the different regional languages of Spain is essentially Espanol. From Galicia to Basque to Catalan. And what I really want to learn is Castille.

Off to the market place to but some fresh vegetables and meat. I´m thinking about making a roast chicken and salad later. I don´t think they bargain for prices here and I´m curious what are the common spices here and what Saffron goes for. Adios.